Is it necessary to seal the water meter after verification?

Is it necessary to seal meters?

The problem of saving water resources is very acute at the moment; it is necessary to properly use the available natural reserves. Federal Law No. 261 “On Energy Saving” dated November 23, 2009 Art. 13 (as amended on July 29, 2017) and RF Government Decree No. 776 recommend that all co-owners of housing install water meters, otherwise utility bills are calculated with an increasing factor (clause 42 of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354 as amended on March 27, 2018).

Installing water meters significantly reduces the amount of payments and allows you to regulate resource consumption. According to RF PP No. 354, clause 81(8), commissioning of a water meter is accompanied by sealing. If there is no seal, then the readings are considered invalid and payment is calculated using increasing factors.

How much does it cost to seal a water meter?

In accordance with Art. 20 Federal Law “On Water Supply and Sanitation”, sealing is carried out free of charge if:

• carrying out repair work;
• carrying out the initial installation.

Sealing is carried out for a fee if damage to the seal is a culpable act. In this case, a fee of 500 to 2 thousand rubles will be charged, depending on the region and the organization providing the service. The service life of the device may vary. Old water meters have a longer service life than new ones.

The employee must check and place a seal within a period not exceeding 15 days from the date of submission of the application. As a rule, work is carried out in the next 3-7 days. The homeowner must provide technical documentation for the devices. The specialist checks the correctness of the work performed and the absence of damage. After this, a seal is installed. The actions taken are supported by the act of commissioning the water meter.

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The data from the technical passport is rewritten or photocopied and provided to the installer. The original documents remain in the hands of the property owner. In some cases, sealing is carried out by the person installing the meters. Then the procedure follows in the same order.

Important : do not confuse installation of a water meter and commissioning. In the first case, a certain fee is charged for the work, established by the management company or housing cooperative. In the second, the procedure is carried out free of charge.

If an invoice is presented, the person must make a payment (so that the fee is calculated according to the meters), and the illegal action of the management company or the organization providing the service can be appealed to the prosecutor's office. In such a situation, the resource consumer is right. The money will have to be returned.

When is it necessary to seal an IPU?

Unlike an electricity meter, the water meter is located in a closed transparent case that cannot be removed, otherwise the control plastic ring will be damaged. In addition, modern cold and hot water meters are equipped with an anti-magnetic sticker. Such a seal responds to attempts to change the readings by exposure to electromagnetic waves (the substance spreads in a transparent capsule). If a sticker is accidentally or intentionally torn off, the word “Open” will appear on the surface when it is put back in place.

On a note! The presence of an antimagnetic element slightly affects the cost of the device, but eliminates any claims from the resource supplying organization in terms of deliberate influence on the device.

The final sealing of the water meter is carried out using a plastic numbered part. To do this, an employee of the relevant organization is called. The work does not directly affect the main part of the device, except for mechanisms without an anti-magnetic sticker. Sealing occurs between two control nuts, which serve to connect the device to the supply system.

This procedure is necessary in the following cases:

• Initial commissioning of a water meter in newly built private and apartment buildings.
• Completion of the period of use or return of the mechanism from a certified inspection. For cold water IPU, the period after the first verification is 6 years, for hot water – 4 years. If the DHW device is installed on cold water pipes, then the period is calculated based on the data specified in the commissioning certificate.
• Meter failure. The fact of damage is detected independently or during inspection by regulatory organizations.
• Replacement of valves and pipes (if work cannot be carried out without removing the device). This is especially true if the inlet ball valve fails.
• An emergency situation that required the rapid dismantling of the IPU or pipes.
• Cleaning filter clogged. If the supplied water contains coarse impurities, the mesh installed at the inlet gradually becomes clogged. To clean, you will need to remove the mechanism.
• Damage to the wire used to seal the device.

To avoid problems, you need to take into account the basic rule, which involves maintaining the integrity of the element used to seal the mechanism.

In case of any intervention in the operation of the water supply system, which entails complete or partial dismantling of the water meter, it is necessary to reseal the meter

Should water meters be sealed after verification?

After successful verification of the water meter and receipt of a verification certificate, the representative of the resource supplying organization is obliged to ensure that there are no violations during the installation of the water meter (unauthorized tapping into the pipeline to the meter, absence of mechanical damage to the water meter itself), he also checks the integrity of the seals and, if necessary, replaces the seals water meter.

Regardless of whether re-sealing was carried out or not, the specialist, based on your new verification certificate and a visual inspection of the entire water metering unit, will issue an act on the re-entry of the water meter into operation. It is from this moment (the execution of the commissioning act) that the validity period of your water meter will be officially extended by the resource supply organization and from this moment payment will resume based on the readings of the device.

To summarize, re-sealing the water meter after verification is mandatory.

However, this is not an entirely accurate name for the procedure; it is more correct to call this procedure the re-commissioning of an individual water meter, in which, if necessary, old seals are replaced with new ones.

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Who should seal the water meter?

To seal a meter, you need a license; you must contact the following organizations:

1. Management company or homeowners association. When charging for the supplied water resources, it is these structures that carry out the sealing. Exceptions are situations where the owners of an apartment building or cooperative at a general meeting agreed on direct interaction with the supplying organization.
2. MUP "Vodokanal" or MUP "Water Supply Service" (depending on the region). If the company acts as a resource supplier, then it is the company that is responsible for resealing.

In accordance with clause 81(8) of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354, the installation of seals is carried out by a representative of the utility service provider who has access. In some regions, the presence of an employee of the resource supply organization is also required.

Who does the filling?

Before considering who is authorized to install seals, it is worth considering the types of protective equipment specified. The following types of fillings are distinguished:

• factory - installed by the manufacturer, preventing interference with the mechanism of the product, but not preventing its installation and connection;
• after connecting the device.

One of the types of fillings is anti-magnetic: read the article about anti-magnetic filling.

The first of these types of protective devices should be of interest to the consumer only in terms of integrity monitoring when purchasing a product. The owner purchases the device with the factory seal already installed, and its reinstallation may be required only after the device has been repaired in the manufacturer’s workshop or a specialized organization.

After the initial connection of the meter, or as a result of dismantling and reinstallation associated with the next verification or repair, the seal must be installed by a representative of the energy supplier or management company (if we are talking about an apartment in an apartment building).

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It is not permitted to install this protective device yourself or to hire the company that installed the device to do so. Such a connection will be considered illegal, and the readings of the device in this case will be invalid. As a result, the owner will pay the organization for work that goes beyond its authority.

According to the provisions of paragraph 81 (9) of Government Resolution No. 354, adopted in May 2011, these works are performed free of charge. An exception applies to situations where sealing is performed again if previously installed protective equipment is damaged due to the fault of the consumer or third parties.

The cost of sealing in situations in which a fee must be charged to the owner ranges from 200 to 500 rubles, depending on the region and type of energy resource.

Procedure

Process diagram:

1. A water meter is purchased and installed. Self-installation is allowed provided all the details are followed.
2. An application for re-sealing is submitted. It is advisable to indicate the expected installation date.
3. An invited employee will check the correct installation of the meter and documentation.
4. The device must be sealed with a special plastic element or a lead seal. It is imperative that the wire passes through the holes of the two screw-on nuts.
5. An act is drawn up. The document indicates the date, full name and address of the subscriber, the name and position of the representative, the purpose of the survey, installation location, number, verification date, service life, cubic capacity of the water meter, seals for meters. If there is an old device, its parameters are overwritten. All indicators are checked and confirmed by signature.

The act must be drawn up in two copies, one remains with the owner. Most often, the contractor’s employee independently transfers documents to the resource supply organization.

Important! If after a month the line indicating the water meter number in the receipt has not changed, then you need to immediately contact the municipal unitary enterprise.

Time and cost of sealing

The time frame for sealing a water meter varies greatly for different models. The old model device has a shorter period of time, while the new model has a longer period. Often the employee comes within five days after being called. The homeowner will need to present the installation certificate and the registration certificate for the water meter to the master. As a rule, the inspector only checks the correct installation and the absence of damage to the meter.

The one who must seal the meters is required to inspect the entire unit, as well as provide a commissioning certificate. All documents that the inspector provides must be carefully re-read, because they may contain errors in the date, or the subscription fee or other tariffs may be too high.

Costs for the water meter begin to be calculated from the day the contract is concluded, which is made in two copies, one for each of the parties. According to the instructions, the inspector is obliged to independently photocopy the meter’s passport and return the original to the owner, but it is better to bypass this point slightly in order to get rid of unnecessary legwork. Make copies ahead of time so you can give them to the master immediately after sealing.

According to clause 5 of Article 20 of the Federal Law “On Water Supply and Sanitation” dated January 1, 2013, sealing of water meters should be done free of charge in the following cases:

• water meter installation;
• repair;
• checks.

But, if the water meter was damaged due to the fault of the user, then he will be required to pay from 500 to 2000 rubles, this amount varies for each company.

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If the owner wants to return his money, which was demanded from him for sealing water meters, then he should contact Rospotrebnadzor with a complaint against the service company, and also file an application in court. Although, many consider this a thankless and protracted task.

How to apply

Many organizations accept requests for initial or re-sealing by telephone, which is most often due to the presence of previously issued replacement certificates. But it is necessary to take into account that this procedure will not allow you to prove the fact of the application in case of problems, so it is better to submit the application in writing (based on clause 81 of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354 as amended on March 27, 2018).

Standard form:

• Information about the owner of the premises. Full name, address, passport details, phone number.
• Date of installation of the water meter.
• Parameters and placement point of the IPU.
• Although the RF PP requires information about the organization that performed the work, this point can be skipped. The fact is that this rule applies to meters, the installation of which requires mandatory licensing or certification.
• Accurate readings.
• Date of next verification.
• A copy of the mechanism’s passport or document confirming the inspection in a special laboratory.

The application must be submitted to the management company, HOA or municipal unitary enterprise; the second copy with the date and initials of the receiving person remains with the owner. If it is necessary to change a device with an expiring service life, then the implementing organizations notify the subscriber in advance, indicating the period during which a new meter needs to be installed and the sealing dates.

Duration of the procedure

Time intervals are also specified in RF PP No. 354, paragraph 81-81(2):

1. The device is put into operation no later than the month following the installation date.
2. After receiving the application, the contractor can agree on a new deadline. For this purpose, 3 days are given from the moment the notification is accepted. The postponement cannot be more than 15 days from the original date.
3. If the contractor does not appear at the agreed time, then the device is considered to be put into operation from the moment the application is accepted. Although the law allows the use of IPU without a seal, it is necessary to contact the regulatory authorities so that the work is completed.

The water meter may not be put into operation if violations of the installation technology or non-compliance of the device with standards are discovered.

Features of the filling procedure

Sealing after the initial installation of the device is carried out in the following order:

1. The owner submits an application to the management company or resource supplier about the need to connect a meter.
2. The owner prepares the necessary documentation.
3. On the appointed day, a representative of the resource supplier or management company connects the device and installs protective devices.
4. The results of the work are confirmed by the corresponding act, drawn up in duplicate.

Protective devices are installed in a similar manner during verification or after repair of the device. The consumer removes the old seal independently, after notifying the resource supplier of the need to dismantle the meter.

The owner is required to prepare the following set of documents before the arrival of a representative of the above organization:

• agreements for the supply of resources,
• civil passport,
• meter passport, what to do if you have lost the meter passport.
• documents confirming the verification of the device or its repair (for re-installation),
• documentary confirmation of the installation of the device (if it is installed, and we are talking only about sealing).

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The specified protective equipment must be installed within 15 days from the date of submission of the relevant application, and the date of completion of the work must be agreed upon no later than 3 days.

In what case do you need to pay?

Existing legislation stipulates that sealing is performed free of charge if a new device is installed or a certified verification of water meters has been carried out.

Paid sealing is possible in the following cases:

• If the element is damaged due to the transfer of the connection point. The exception is the reconstruction of communications, which is carried out by the management company or HOA. But if the management organization does not have the right to put a seal, then before tearing off the old one, it is better to coordinate the actions.
• If the wire has rotted and the locking device has come off. Many performers restore this element only for money, since it is the consumer who is responsible for the safety of the meter. In such a situation, it is necessary that when carrying out control checks, the owner himself inspects the seal in advance and points out possible violations that have arisen due to the failure of the wire. The sealing element may fall off due to the fact that the contractor used low-quality and unsuitable fixing material.
• If the seal is damaged. Exceptions are the actions of employees of a management company, homeowners association or resource supply organization.

Attention! The element may fly off due to the fault of pets, so it is necessary to limit the area of ​​their influence.